Guide line device for lettering



July 23, 196s H. H. scHRAG 3,393,456

GUIDE LINE DEVICE FOR LETTERING Filed July 25. 1966 FIG. 6.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,393,456 GUIDE LINE DEVICE FOR LETTERING Horst H. Schrag, 500 E. 83rd St., New York, N.Y. 10028 Filed July 25, 1966, Ser. No. 567,726 Claims. (Cl. 33-75) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This specication 4discloses a device with guide for lettering on drawings that are made on transparent or semi-transparent sheets of paper. The device is located on a drawing board and is entirely under the paper. It can be seen through the paper. It is moved into dierent positions where lettering is to be applied, by a magnet located on` a propelling unit which can be positioned by contact with a T square or ystraight edge extending horizontally across the paper. VThe magnet can be a bar magnet attached to a triangle which is part of the drafting equipment.

Background and summary of the invention This invention relates to guidelines for lettering on drawings and more especially to a device for eliminating the necessity of applying guidelines to the sheet on which a drawing is made.

Placing the lettering messages on technical drawings often takes up a large fraction of the total time spent on the drawing, and neat drawing requires the use of guidelines for the lettering at each place on the drawing where there is to be any lettering messages.

It is an object of the invention to provide a guideline device that can be used under transparent or semi-transparent drawing paper, cloth, or ilms to provide guides for lettering without taking the ltime to draw guidelines on the sheet itself. v

Another object is to provide a guideline device of the character indicated with means for shifting it to any part of the sheet conveniently yand quickly, preferably by means of magnetic force that actsthrough the sheet.

The invention can be used with drawings of any size and without interfering with the usual methods by'which drawingsare attached to a drawing board, table or other support. It can be manipulated and lined up according to eyesighting or it may be lined up with aT square, straight edge or drafting machine. It is not limited to lettering in only one direction, but can be lined up in any direction. It eliminates drawn guidelines that have to be erased or that have to remain on the drawing after the lettering is completed. It is inexpensive and of very simple and rugged construction.

Brief description of the drawings Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIGURE l is a diagrammatic isometric view of a drawing board having a straight edge and equipped with the guideline device of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged sectional view through apparatus similar to FIGURE l, but showing the construction less diagrammatically at the section line indicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged top plan View of the pattern carrier shown in FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

3,393,456 Patented .Iuly 23, 1968 ICE FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, isometric view of .the pro pelling unit shown in FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a bottom view of a modified form of propelling unit, the unit being in the form of a triangle with bar magnets along its opposite legs, and with spherical casters for reducing friction; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional View taken on the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7.

Description of the preferred embodiments FIGURE l shows a drawing board 10 which is merely representative of supports on which a sheet 12 rests while a drawing is made on the surface of the sheet. The sheet 12 is attached to the board 10 by pressure-sealing tapes 14 in a conventional manner; and the drawing board 10 is equipped with a straight edge 16 which is movable up and down on the `drawing board, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 18, but which always remains parallel to itself.

The parallel positions of the straight edge 16 are maintained by connecting the straight edge to cables 22 which have ends anchored at 24 and which have portions extending around pulleys 26 for transmitting any motion of one end of the straight edge to the other end. This drafting equipment is well known and no further description of it is necessary for a complete understanding of this invention. In place of the straight edge 16, a T square can be used for the same purpose,l and so can a drafting machine which carries both horizontal and vertical straight edges on a folding parallelogram linkage.

A pattern carrier 30 is located on the drawing board 10 under the sheet 12. This is best shown in FIGURE 2 where the different elements are separated from one another in order better to illustrate the individual parts. In actual practice, the drawing sheet 12 rests on the board 10 except where it is lifted from the board by the pattern carrier 30. The part of the sheet 12 directly over the pattern carrier 30 touches the pattern carrier and there are small areas 32 around the edges of the pattern carrier where the paper extends from the level of the top surface of the pattern carrier back to the surface of the drawing board 10, these areas 32 being of exaggerated size in FIGURE 2 because of the separation of the parts p for purposes of clearer illustration.

. being attracted by another magnet. In order to reduce the friction of the pattern carrier as it moves about on the drawing board 10 and with the drawing sheet 12 resting on the top surface of the pattern carrier, there are plastic sheets 38 covering both surfaces of the magnetic sheet 36 and preferably bonded to the magnetic sheet so that the pattern carrier is a laminate made up of three laminations. In the illustrated construction, the plastic sheets or laminations 38 extend beyond the edges of the magnetic sheet 36 and are bonded .to each other, as by fusion bonding, and these extending edge portions of the sheets 38 give the pattern carrier 30 tapered edges 40 which help to lift the drawing sheet 12 with a more gradual lifting effect, if the edges 40 extend far enough to contact with the drawing sheet where it falls away from the top of the pattern carrier.

The pattern carrier 30 has an upwardly facing surface 42, which may be on either the top of the sheet 36 or on the upper plastic sheet 38, and this surface 42 contains guidelines 44, preferably black lines on a white background, Even if the drawing sheet 12 is only semitransparent, the guidelines 44 are easily seen because the drawing sheet actually touches the pattern carrier 30 so that the guidelines rf-l are held in Contact, or substantially in contact, with the back surface of the drawing sheet I2. Even if the guidelines 44 are on the surface of the magnetic sheet 36, they are still immediately adjacent to the back of the drawing sheet 12, because the plastic laminations 38 are very thin. It will be understood that in FIGURE 4 all dimensions are exaggerated in order to show the section in double lines and with section lining.

FIGURE 5 shows a propelling unit 48 which is essentially a bar magnet 50. In the preferred construction the bar magnet 50 is surrounded on its top and sides by a plastic channel S2 which makes the propelling unit easier to hold and easier to keep clean.

The channel 52 also serves an additional purpose, however, in that its side walls extend slightly below the bottom face of the magnet 5), as is clearly shown in FIG- URE 6. The bottom edges of the side walls of the channel 52 are rounded to provide smooth bearing surfaces 56 which Contact with the drawing sheet to permit the propelling unit to slide easily over the drawing sheet without danger of smearing any lines of the drawing. The spacing of the magnet Sil from the surface of the drawing sheet by the bearing surfaces 56 also prevents the magnet from pulling the pattern carrier so close to the magnet that there would be danger of wrinkling or tearing the sheet when removing the propelling unit from the vicinity of the pattern carrier. The distance that the sides of the channel 52 extend below the bottom of the magnet 50 controls the degree of attraction of the propelling unit for the pattern carrier, or vice versa.

The propelling unit shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 is long enough so that it can be easily gripped between the thumb and forenger of the draftmans hand and can be turned to make its length extend in different directions depending upon the direction in which it is desired to have the lines of the pattern carrier extend. The propelling unit 48 can be manipulated to move the pattern carrier into any desired position and with the lines of the pattern carrier extending in any desired direction under any part of the drawing. This positioning can be done entirely by eye, but if desired, the propelling unit 4S can be positioned against the straight edge 16, as shown in FIGURES l and 2. If the propelling unit is first brought into position along an edge of the pattern carrier, so that the pattern carrier orients itself parallel to the propelling unit, then the pattern carrier can be brought parallel to the straight edge by moving the propelling unit into contact with the straight edge, as illustrated. This assures that all lettering which is intended to be horizontal will be consistently horizontal everywhere on the drawing; and it is particularly useful where there are a number ofvlines to be lettered, since it insures that the pattern carrier can be moved without altering its horizontal lines.

FIGURE 7 shows a modied form of the propelling unit. A 90-45 triangle 60 has two bar magnets Sil attached to its bottom surface. These bar magnets are preferably covered with a plastic channel, as in FIG- URES 5 and 6, except that the plastic channel is upside down with respect to that shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 and the portion of the channel -which extends between the parallel legs of the channel forms a bottom wall 62 across the underside of each of the magnets S0 So that all surfaces of the magnet are covered, the upper surface being covered by the triangle 60 which is generally made of plastic and preferably ya transparent plastic. Each of the magnets in FIGURE 7 extends parallel to one of the right-angle edges of the triangle 66 so that the propelling 4 unit of FIGURES 7 and 8 can be used with a straight edge, in the same way as already described in connection with FIGURES l and 2.

The triangle 60 also has anti-friction supports 66 consisting of casters having spherical plastic balls 68 which turn in socket blocks 70 bonded to the underside of the triangle 60. These balls 68 are held in the sockets by a plate 72 extending across the socket at a location slightly below the maximum diameter of the ball, the opening through the plate 72 being too small to permit the ball 68 to fall out of the socket in the block 70. This is a conventional type of caster.

In FIGURES 7 and l8 the casters 66 are made of such height, with respect to the magnets 50 and plastic channel walls 62, that the balls 68 hold the surfaces 62 parallel with but slightly spaced from, the surface of the drawing sheet.

This propelling unit shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 has low friction so that it can be moved easily and without smearing the drawing; and it has the further advantage that the propelling unit itself has edges which are Close enough to the sheet to be used to guide a pencil when making drawings. Because of the transparency of the triangle 60, a draftsman can see through the triangle to determine when the pattern carrier is in position. The unit can then be moved away without danger of shifting the pattern carrier if the draftsman presses one hand against the sheet over an exposed area which touches the pattern carrier.

The preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, but changes and modifications can be made and some features can be used in different combinations without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

ll. A guideline device for use with a straight edge that overlies a transparent or semi-transparent sheet on a drawing board, said guideline device including a Ipattern carrier adapted to be placed entirely under the sheet and on the drawing board entirely out of .any direct contact with said straight edge, the pattern carrier being made of magnetic material and having an upwardly-facing lettering guideline pattern thereon, a propelling unit for the pattern carrier above the sheet and freely movable to any desired location on the sheet, the propelling unit including ya complementary magnetic part that cooperates with the .magnetic material of the pattern carrier to move the pattern carrier to a position under the sheet corresponding to lthe location to which the propelling unit is moved and the propelling unit having a side for contact with the straight edge to bring the pattern carrier into a desired relation with the straight edge.

2. The guideline device described in claim 1 characterized by plastic material over at least part of the surface of the pattern carrier for reducing friction of the pattern carrier as it moves about between the sheet and the support on which the sheet rests.

3. The guideline device described in claim 2 characterized by the magnetic material of the pattern carrier being a laminate covered on both sides by smooth plastic coatings.

4. The guideline device described in claim 2 characterized by the magnetic material of the pattern carrier being a thin sheet enclosed between low-friction plastic sheets that completely cover the magnetic material and that extend beyond all edges of the -magnetic material, the extending edges of the plastic sheets being bonded to one another to give the pattern carrier edge portions which are thinner than the other part of the pattern carrier to assist in progressively lifting the drawing sheet from its support as the pattern carrier moves across the support to a different location under the drawing sheet.

5. The guideline device described in claim 1 characterized by the propelling unit including 'a bar magnet of substantial length for turning the pattern carrier in re- 5 spouse to changes in the direction of extent of the length of the bar magnet.

6. The guideline device described in claim 1 characterized by the propelling unit being attached to drafting equipment which is used in cooperation with said straight edge and which itself has an edge that is used by the draftsnnan for guiding a pencil or pen when making drawings on the sheet.

7. The guideline device described in claim 6 in cornbination with a straight edge which is associated with the support for the drawing sheet and which has -means for holding it in positions parallel to itself so that the straight edge always extends across the drawing in a direction t0 guide a pencil to make a horizontal line, said straight edge being the one that overlies the transparent 0r semitrans parent sheet, and the guideline device being characterized by the propelling unit ybein-g attached to a second straight edge having the means for holding it parallel to itself.

8. The guideline device described in claim 1 in combination with a straight edge to which the propelling unit is attached said straight edge also including antifriction elements in contact `with the drawing sheet to facilitate movement of the propelling unit across the surface of the drawing.

9. The guideline device described in claim 8 characterized by the propelling unit including an element having an edge for contact with the straight edge that overlies the transparent or semi-transparent sheet on the drawing board, a bar magnet locateo under the propelling unit and extending parallel to the edge that contacts with the straight edge that overlies the sheet, and the propelling unit having plastic surfaces for low-friction contact with the Idrawing sheet. y

10. The guideline device described in clairn 9 characterized Eby the propelling unit element being a transparent right-angle triangle having tWo bar magnets secured to the underside thereof, with one magnet parallel to each of the right-angle sides of the triangle, plastic material covering the bottom surfaces of the bar magnets, and three spherical casters on the underside of the triangle and secured to it with each of the casters near a different vertex of the triangle for supporting the triangle from the drawing sheet, the casters being of a height to hold the triangle parallel to the drawing sheet and spaced from the drawing sheet by a distance slightly greater than the vertical height of the bar magnets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,549,197 8/1925 Hanback 46-237 2,249,454 7/1941 Brake 46-239 X 2,584,021 l/l952 Jackson 35-26 X 2,806,299 9/1957 Dulbas 35-26 X HARRY N. HAROIAN, Primary Examiner. 

